Uli Hoeneß, Honorary President of FC Bayern Munich, was a guest on the Austrian TV station on Monday evening ServusTV in the program “Sport and Talk from Hangar-7”. Among other things, Hoeneß spoke about the FCB bankruptcy against Bochum, the idea of playoffs in the Bundesliga and Max Eberl.
Uli Hoeness about …
…David Praises: “With David Alaba, we were able to have one of the best Austrian players ever at FC Bayern. I’m a big fan of his and very close friends with him. David is the only player who has been with Bayern Munich for ten years the Hoeneß family always calls on Christmas Eve and wishes us a Merry Christmas. Of course it was difficult when he left because we really wanted him to stay. But that’s the way it is in football and I have a personal relationship with him I don’t have any problems.”
… the defeat against Bochum: “Loss always bothers me, but as long as we’re six points clear in the league, that’s fine. Our players always seem to be a little lax against weaker opponents, but that will certainly not happen against Salzburg.”
reading recommendation
… Nagelsmann’s changed plan against Bochum: “When you play with five attacking players, there’s a risk of getting into trouble at the back. But the defense starts at the front. In the good games, where we played like that, they attacked up front and got the opponent didn’t let it come into play and then there wasn’t much going on at the back either. But if you cover carelessly up front, you get into problems at the back.”
… the attitude of the team: “I think the problem at the moment is that when our players read the newspaper, they always hear that they are totally superior and nobody can hold a candle to them. The atmosphere in the team is very good, I’ve heard, maybe too good and there’s not enough friction and that means you might only play 50 percent or 70 percent against opponents who seem to be weaker and that’s not enough these days.Up until now it’s always been like that, when it came down to it they were unbelievable pulled together and played very well. The season was actually very good, so I hope they take Salzburg seriously and then I think we’ll play well too.”
… his dealings with consultants: “I’ve always dealt fairly with the players, but not always with the advisors.”
… Marcel Sabitzer: “He knows the coach well and the coach really wanted him. You have to be patient and that’s something that a lot of people in Munich don’t have.”
… Manuel Neuer: “Manuel is the best goalkeeper in the world. Even if he doesn’t have that much to hold onto, he’s very, very important as a captain and as a personality. And of course the defenders know that we have a footballer back there that you give every ball to can play back in the greatest need and that’s an advantage that almost no goalkeeper in the world has and that’s why we obviously miss him. That has nothing to do with the fact that Ulreich is a very good goalkeeper, but Manuel is Manuel.”
… Karim Adeyemi: “Basically, he’s a very good player. The only problem is, if you get a player like that, you have to show him perspectives and Dortmund have it easier. Otherwise he would certainly be a player that you would have to deal with more intensively.”
… Play-offs in the Bundesliga and Kahn’s willingness to discuss: “It’s his opinion, it’s not mine because I find it ridiculous. After 34 matchdays, the Bundesliga champion should be the one who has gone through thick and thin with his team. And this idea would only be a law against Bayern Munich “That has nothing to do with tension. They’re trying at the moment and the new managing director of the DFL is now thinking day and night about how we can break the dominance of FC Bayern and now they’re coming up with this idea. In no big league of World there are play-offs. There is a knockout system in the DFB Cup, there is that in the Champions League and the championship has to be won by whoever was the best team throughout the year. At the end of the season, if everyone is broken, then semi-finals or finals, I think that’s a joke idea.”
… a World Cup every two years: “Nonsense. The World Cup is the highest for all players in the world and if I play it every two years, then I’m watering it down. There are also the Olympics and the European Championships, when do you want to play them? Infantino must slowly realize it be that the year has only 365 days.”
… Max Eberl: “I’m very close friends with Max Eberl and it’s a special situation. A lot of things came together. The job is nerve-wracking and takes a lot of strength. But to say now, because it came together in such a way, that it’s inhuman, that you can do it I can’t stand it, I don’t see it that way. It’s a dramatic situation now. Gladbach has always made a living from taking players and then selling them for a fee. Now they’ve found that three important contracts are about to expire and they get nothing. Suddenly there was pressure that didn’t exist before. Then they suddenly found themselves at the bottom, even though they’ve always played for the Champions League. All of that came together in the Max case and I’m convinced he’s on holiday now and he will come back eventually and do a good job.”
